Liga Mundo Season 18
Liga Mundo Season 18 ran from October 10, 2013 to February 8, 2013. The league expanded from 27 to 29 teams this season but compared to the previous season, there was very little franchise change or movement during the pre-season. However once the season got underway, it would be a different matter with one of the busiest seasons in recent memory. Vasuda Blue Wings applied on June 2, 2013 for a new expansion team during the previous season on June 2, 2013 while Gopher City Pippas FC applied for an expansion team almost two months later on July 31, 2013. Both new clubs were officially approved and joined as expansion teams on September 13, 2013. The re-born Atlético Luz Del Mar were renamed Atlético Nacional and Gangnam Stylers were renamed London Qwoppers on September 30, 2013. Starting this season, the entrance requirements for the Liga Mundo Hall of Fame would be increased from 100 matches to 200 matches for induction. After the Grand Lodge League folded on November 1, 2013, Templar Forsworn were renamed Templar United when the club ownership merged with the defunct Templar Blades of the Grand Lodge League during mid-season on November 2, 2013. Due to the effects of the Disorder War raging across the globe, on November 11, 2013, the Transvaal Springboks agreed with a request from their allied comrades in the Northern Reich to open up Loftus Versfeld to groundsharing the two Dorpat teams for the duration of the conflict. Both Dynamo Dorpat of Liga Mundo and Dorpat Lions of the Nordreich Liga relocated to Pretoria until hostilities ended and it was feasible and safe to move the club back to their home grounds. Atlético Melloria came under league administration on November 16, 2013 after the club board of directors, dealing with the absentee ownership situation of the previous three months, parted ways with founder and long-time manager Rob26480 after 12 and a half seasons. The club, lingering in the relegation zone of the Segunda Liga with an uncertain future, was shopped by league authorities for possible take over. The following month saw the Big Three and Original Four club Arcadia FC also come under league administration when affiliation with the Arcadian Empire terminated on December 13, 2013 due to absentee management. The following day, PremierApex the manager of Atlético Nacional resigned from his team and took over ownership of Arcadia FC with Atlético Nacional then coming under league administration. Arcadia FC was renamed Clube Atlético Santos on the same day. Soon after the relocation, many of Arcadia FC's veteran legends such as Dermott Kewell and Ned Peyton departed the club on transfers. The UCFA Champions Cup was founded this season as a replacement competition when the El Invierno Clásico tournament was officially retired on December 18, 2013 - although its last occurrence was played back in Season 7. The new open cup tournament, honouring the pioneering CN football manager of the former Arcadia FC club, maintained the same random draw 1-game series as El Invierno Clásico Final Standings *''Templar Forsworn renamed Templar United in mid-season on November 2, 2013'' *''Arcadia FC was renamed Clube Atlético Santos in mid-season on December 14, 2013'' Regular Season Primera Liga insert chart Statistics Leaders insert table All-Star Team insert table Segunda Liga insert chart Statistics Leaders insert table All-Star Team insert table Tercera Liga insert chart Statistics Leaders insert table All-Star Team insert table Costa Libertad Trophy (Team of the Month) The Costa Libertad Trophy for the Liga Mundo Team of the Month was inaugurated on June 1, 2012 as a team achievement award for all Liga Mundo teams. The trophy is named in honour of the former Cybernation Costa Libertad - which was the home of Liga Mundo's founder PremierApex. Retirements & Departures *'Balthazar Botha' (Transvaal Springboks) forward, aged 35. Wearing #26 through out his 17 seasons in Liga Mundo, Balthazar Botha was the club's second junior prospect signing. In his early years, he generally played in the shadows of Gert Grünholz, Charles Brennan, and his younger brother Detlef. The elder Botha’s most notable achievement is setting a Liga Mundo record in Season 4 when he scored 4 goals in a row in the space of 36 minutes as the Springboks demolished Gumbo Gods 7-1 on January 16, 2009. Balthazar reached legendary status on December 9, 2010 during Season 9. On May 19, 2011 he scored his 50th and 51st goals in a 4-0 win against Atlético Melloria to become the third Springbok to reach the 50-goal plateau. Since Season 14, he has been eclipsed by his line-mate Jakob Kruger as the leading forward on the team. Balthazar assisted on Emmanuel Hörtnagl's goal on March 28, 2013 which was the Springboks' 500th regular season goal during a 4-2 loss to the VolNation Volunteers. He played in his 200th career match on June 13, 2013, during in a 3-3 draw in Season 17 versus RMI Armed Forces FC. His final two campaigns (Seasons 16 and 17) saw him more and more relegated to substitution roles. He announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of Season 18 - however on October 6, 2013, he decided to resign his spot with the club in favour of his 16-year-old nephew Bismarck Botha, Jnr. His last competitive match was on August 22, 2013 when the Springboks defeated Debate Land Orators – although he appeared in one friendly a week or so before the end of the season. At the time of his departure, Balthazar Botha was ranked 5th in career games played (206), 2nd in goals (88), 7th in assists (32), and 2nd in career points with 120. He made the X11 teams 18 times, good enough for 3rd place in career statistics. He led all forwards in career games, goals, points, and X11 team selections (18). Regarded as somewhat of a cheater around the referees, he picked up 48 career bookings (2nd most for the club). *'Elton Tomlin' (Templar Forsworn / Templar United) midfielder, aged 33. Tomlin joined Templar Forsworn as a member of the club's original roster, appearing in 11 seasons between Season 8 and Season 18. He departed the club and Liga Mundo on November 14, 2013 after he was sold on transfers for $953,736. At the time he left the club, Tomlin was ranked 4th in career matches (178), 3rd in assists (35), and 6th in points (53). *'Jonathan Beach' (Firedog SC) forward, aged 30 - Beach was sold during the pre-season on October 6, 2013 for $3,090,024. The leading offensive player on Firedog SC, Jonathan Beach made a name for himself in the Tercera Liga and with his team as he departed the club 3rd in career matches (108) and led the club record books both for goals (45) and points (54). He finished 3rd in goals in the Tercera Liga in Season 13, 1st in goals and 2nd in points in the Tercera Liga in Season 14, and 1st in points and goals in the Tercera Liga in Season 15. When Firedog SC were promoted to the Segunda Liga, Beach found himself playing against tougher opposition but still managed to finish tied for 4th in X11 team selections in the Segunda Liga in Season 16 and then finish 3rd in goals in the Segunda Liga during his final season played in Liga Mundo. He was named to Tercera Liga all-star teams in Seasons 14, 15, and 17. *'Unax Sena' (Estrella Roja) midfielder, aged 34. Unax Sena was promoted from the club's junior team on July 17, 2008 prior to Season 3. During his 15-season career, he was a mainstay on the Estrella Roja midfield. In Season 11, he played his 100th match on July 14, 2011. He was released by the club on October 9, 2013 - a couple of days prior to the start of Season 18. At the time he left the club, Sena was 2nd in career matches (169), 6th in career goals (19), 2nd in career assists (30), and 4th in career points (49) during his lengthy career with Los Roja. *'Ned Peyton' (Arcadia FC) fullback, aged 31. Payton was sold by the new Clube Atlético Santos management on December 18, 2013 for $4,284,336. Peyton played 100th match on September 15, 2011 during Season 12 and played 200th match on July 1, 2013 in Season 17. He was 7th in career games played (222) at the time of his transfer from Clube Atlético Santos. While playing in the Segunda Liga in Season 13, he finished tied 1st for X11 team selections (9) along with teammate Don Silver - an achievement that gave him a spot on the Segunda Liga all-star team that season. *'Sylvester Raymond' (Arcadia FC) forward, aged 27. Raymond was sold by the new Clube Atlético Santos management on December 23, 2013 for $11,177,208. He played in his 100th legendary match on August 1, 2013 during Season 17. at the time of his departure, he was ranked 15th in career games played (121) and 9th in career goals (37). *'Dermott Kewell' (Arcadia FC) forward, aged 34. Kewell was sold by the new Clube Atlético Santos management on December 23, 2013 for $2,030,112. He played in his 100th legendary match during Season 8 on August 12, 2010 and his 200th match in Season 15 on July 26, 2012. Third in career matches (269) for The Aces, Kewell departed Arcadia FC as the club's all-time leading goal and points scorer with 115 goals and 145 points. He also led the club in X11 team selections with 95 and was ranked 7th in career assists with 30. Dermott Kewell's best campaigns were in the formative seasons of Liga Mundo as one of the offensive threats for a strong Arcadia FC squad as he tied 3rd for points (10) and tied 4th for goals (7) in Season 4, tied 3rd for points (9) and tied 2nd goals (7) in Season 5, tied 1st points (15) and 1st in goals (12) in Season 6 (earning him all-stars honours), and tied 3rd goals (7) in Season 7 before seeing his game suffer as Arcadia FC began to hit hard times in the Primera Liga. He left the club 3rd in career games played with 269 matches. *'Genaro Ochotorena' (Atlético Luz Del Mar / Marseille FC) midfielder, aged 33. He was sold on transfers December 26, 2013 for $2,356,032 after a dispute with management over his reduced playing time. Ochotorena played in 293 career matches, the second-most for the franchise. During his career, he scored 74 goals and 61 assists for 135 points - ranking him 3rd, 4th, and 2nd respectively in club records at the time of his departure. Ochotorena played his 100th match during Season 8 on July 8, 2010 and his 200th match in Season 13 on February 13, 2012. His best seasons were when he finished tied 4th in points (9) in Season 7 and made the Primera Liga all-star team that season. Ochotorena then laid low until Season 11 when he finished tied 4th in assists (7) and 5th in points (11) and making the Primera Liga all-star team. The following season he finished tied 5th in assists (5). Two seasons later when the club was demoted to the Segunda Liga, Ochotorena excelled in his new suroundings as he finished tied 1st for points (13), 2nd in goals (8), tied 2nd in assists (5), tied 2nd in X11 selections (10), and made the Segunda Liga all-star team in Season 14. Notable Transfers *'Eder Bispo' - transferred in the pre-season from Templar Forsworn (8 GP; 0G; 1A) to VolNation Volunteers on October 1, 2013 Coaching Awards insert text League MVP insert text All-Liga Mundo All-Star Team insert chart Career Milestones *'Hank McMillan' (Arcadia FC) - played 200th match on October 15, 2013 *'Dwayne Snowden' (Swamplandia Sinners) - played 200th match on November 7, 2013 *'Alasdair McRanner' (Swamplandia Sinners) - played 200th match on November 11, 2013 *'Yusuf Abdul-Samad' (Nordheim Badgers FC) - played 200th match on November 14, 2013 *'Pierce O´Shea' (Dynamo Dorpat) - played 200th match on November 18, 2013 *'Felício Melo da Silva' (Marseille FC) - played 200th match on November 25, 2013 *'Christopher Rojas' (VolNation Volunteers) - played 200th match on November 25, 2013 *'Matty Doolan' (Templar United) - played 200th match on November 28, 2013 *'Derek Rhodes' (Atlético Melloria) - played 200th match on November 28, 2013 *'Bert Gee' (London Qwoppers) - played 200th match on November 28, 2013 Manager of the Season insert text Copa Cato XI First Round Matches played on October 14 and October 21, 2013 *Marseille FC defeated Gopher City Pippas FC (3-1; 2-0) *Skagafjörður Nords AFC defeated Vasuda Blue Wings (5-1; 4-0) *Nordheim Badgers FC defeated River Plate (2-1; 2-0) *Keville United FC defeated Ashie Road 11 (4-2; 5-1) *Plymouth City FC defeated London Qwoppers (7-0; 8-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Estrella Roja (0-0; 2-0) *Transvaal Springboks defeated AFC Merry Men (1-0; 2-0) *Guajolotes defeated FC Konkrage (4-0; 6-0) *Firedog SC defeated Atlético Melloria (5-1; 7-0) *Clachnacuddin defeated Bethlehem FC (1-0; 2-1) *The Fighting Sherms defeated Debate Land Orators (1-0; 1-1) *RMI Armed Forces FC defeated Arcadia FC (5-3; 7-2) *Ocean´s Gold defeated Atlético Nacional (3-0; 1-0) Second Round Matches played on October 28 and November 4, 2013 *Ocean´s Gold defeated Templar Forsworn/Templar United (2-2; 1-0) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated RMI Armed Forces FC (5-0; 6-0) *VolNation Volunteers defeated The Fighting Sherms (2-2; 1-0) *Marseille FC defeated Clachnacuddin (1-1; 2-1) *Skagafjörður Nords AFC defeated Firedog SC (1-3; 4-0) *Guajolotes defeated Nordheim Badgers FC (4-0; 1-3) *Transvaal Springboks defeated Keville United FC (6-0; 3-1) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Plymouth City FC (7-2; 2-2) Templar Forsworn renamed Templar United midway through the Second Round on November 2, 2013 Quarter-Finals Matches played on November 11 and November 18, 2013 *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Transvaal Springboks (2-1; 4-1) *VolNation Volunteers defeated Guajolotes (2-2; 1-0) *Marseille FC defeated Skagafjörður Nords AFC (3-1; 5-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Ocean´s Gold (3-0; 1-1) Semi-Finals Matches played on November 25 and December 2, 2013 *Dynamo Dorpat defeated VolNation Volunteers (2-0; 1-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Marseille FC (0-0; 2-0) Copa Cato XI Finals Matches played on December 9 and December 16, 2013 *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Swamplandia Sinners (2-1; 2-0) UCFA Champions Cup I DECEMBER 18, 2013 - New winter cup tournament Commissioner Bartnel Botha today announced the birth of the UCFA Champions Cup. As the commissioner explained during his press conference: “For some strange reason, we never seem to have cup tournaments falling in the months adjacent to the new year (winter months for those north of the equator, summertime south of it) – only twice in this league’s history, with the last time was way back in Season 7 with the El Invierno Clásico.” “I’ve never been a huge fan of the El Invierno Clásico name – Spanish for ‘Winter Classic’, I believe – so now with a winter tournament to be scheduled and coupled with the recent, sad departure of one of Liga Mundo’s four original managers, I have decided to retire El Invierno Clásico and replace it with the resuscitated UCFA Champions Cup in honour of the former manager of Arcadia FC, Aracdian_Empire, who was – before PremierApex with founding this league, or Reichlep with the ARK Premiership – a ground-breaking footballing pioneer in Cybernations with his UCFA Champions League which ran for 8 tournaments from October 2007 through into June 2008.” “Once Liga Mundo and the move towards a CN-X11 crossover came along in January 2008, the UCFA Champions League was put to rest – although the UCFA name continued to be used as a unifying umbrella identification name between all CN-X11 leagues, such as Liga Mundo, the ARK Premiership, the Nordreich Liga, and those defunct leagues that have come and gone.” “Therefore, in recognition of A_E’s leading place amongst the great founders and builders of the CN football world, it is now time to honour him with the first UCFA Champions Cup.” The tournament rules will be identical to those used for past Invierno Clásico’s: played when cup season starts in winter months, with random draw 1-game series. First Round Matches played on December 30, 2013 *Guajolotes defeated Gopher City Pippas FC (2-0) *River Plate defeated Atlético Nacional (3-0) *Ashie Road 11 defeated Estrella Roja (1-0) *Dynamo Dorpat defeated Clube Atlético Santos (3-0) *Transvaal Springboks defeated Skagafjörður Nords AFC (3-2) *Clachnacuddin defeated AFC Merry Men (5-0) *Ocean´s Gold defeated Vasuda Blue Wings (6-0) *The Fighting Sherms defeated Firedog SC (2-0) *VolNation Volunteers defeated Atlético Melloria (4-3) *FC Konkrage defeated RMI Armed Forces FC (2-0) *Swamplandia Sinners defeated Plymouth City FC (5-2) *Templar United defeated London Qwoppers (7-0) *Marseille FC defeated Nordheim Badgers FC (3-2) Second Round Matches played on January 6, 2014 Quarter-Finals Matches played on January 13, 2014 *VolNation Volunteers defeated Dynamo Dorpat (2-0) *Marseille FC defeated Ocean´s Gold (3-1) *Templar United defeated Keville United FC (4-0) *Ashie Road 11 defeated Transvaal Springboks (4-3) Semi-Finals Matches played on January 20, 2014 *VolNation Volunteers defeated Ashie Road 11 (2-0) *Templar United defeated Marseille FC (2-1 ET) Cup Finals ''Match played on January 27, 2014 *VolNation Volunteers vs Templar United Press Releases & Previews insert text Team Pages *Arcadia FC *Estrella Roja *Gopher City Pippas FC *Guajolotes *Transvaal Springboks